Jeff McDonald: Manu, George Hill and other observations

* The Spurs have been waiting for Manu Ginobili to look like his old self again. At times in the first half, he indeed did look like the old Ginobili — the one who used to frustrate Gregg Popovich by trying to do too much and turning the ball over. Mostly, Ginobili just frustrated himself. At one point, after he missed a desperation 3-point attempt at the shot-clock buzzer, Ginobili screamed at himself. Later, he could be heard muttering to himself as he walked to the bench.

What frustrated him? “My game. The turnovers I was having. Us not being able to play better. A little bit of everything. I’m not feeling right now that I am playing my best, and I’m feeling a little anxious.”

Eventually, Ginobili began making plays that looked like the old (good) Ginobili, wrapping the ball around his back on one drive here, finishing an explosive reverse layup there. Moments like these make Popovich believe Ginobili is close to being at 100 percent for the first time this season.

* In the fourth quarter, Popovich let rookie George Hill run a timeout. This is a sign of the trust the coach has developed in the young backup point guard.

* Kurt Thomas continues to produce with the minutes he is being given. Thomas had nine rebounds and nine points in less than 17 minutes. Plus, it’s always nice to have a post player willing to put an elbow in someone’s back now and then. At this rate, it’s going to be difficult for Fab Oberto to work himself back into the rotation.

* You know it’s almost midseason when Popovich is complaining about his team’s defensive field goal percentage. Spurs opponents are shooting 45.5 percent from the field. The Spurs rank 18th in that category.

* All in all, it was a good win for the Spurs, even though they struggled in the first half. But they will have to play better to win either of their next two games, against Orlando and the L.A. Lakers. At least they get both games at home.